


Star-Crossed Lovers

by LynnShead



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Ghost Wilbur Soot, Hurt/Comfort, Isolation, Long-Haired Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), M/M, Past Character Death, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynnShead/pseuds/LynnShead
Summary: Dream doesn't exist.___________What if instead of traveling and eventually creating the place named Dream SMP, Dream never left the village that went mad?
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Clay | Dream, Cara | CaptainPuffy & Clay | Dream, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Niki | Nihachu, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF) & Everyone, Clay | Dream/Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 264





	Star-Crossed Lovers

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, Dream never existed. That means Dream never stopped l'Manburg from being created.
> 
> Instead, l'Manburg fell under its own weight. It was too ambitious, causing everything to tumble down quickly.
> 
> In this story, Dream is instead Cornelius. The villager who never left his village. He spends his days trying to find a way to resurrect his dead family and friends.

He was just a wandering traveler when he first arrived into the village.

He didn't even know if he could call it a village. It was more of a small neighborhood. They were a close community. He was introduced to them by a nice person named Jimmy. His wife, Helga, was rather weird but he didn't mind. She had a good sense of humor that he appreciated a lot.

"What's your name, nice stranger?" Jimmy asked, smiling. Caught off guard, his eyes darted around to think of something. He was never given a name.

"C-ornelius.." Eventually, he quietly answered.

Helga laughed and threw her arm around him. "Don't be so uptight, big guy! We're all friends here!" He shook slightly, not expecting physical touch.

He nodded and held onto his bag tightly. "I.. uh.. Is there somewhere I can stay for a night? I'm just.. I can pay."

Jimmy thought for a second. "I'm sorry to inform, but we don't have any extra houses. Our town never gets visitors so we have never though that we would have needed one."

He felt his chest fall. "..Oh. Alright then, I guess I can just leave.."

Helga frowned for a second, thinking. Her face perked up when she thought of something. "Hey, doesn't Catt live alone? I'm sure we can convince him to let you stay for a night."

The mayor thinks about it before smiling and nodding. "Maybe, but we will have to ask. I would be rude if we just told him that he would have a guest in his own house."

"That's alright.." He said, a small bit of relief overriding his anxiety. He didn't want to sleep outside again.

The three of them approached the cabin furthest to the left, Jimmy knocking on the door. To the blond's surprise, a taller guy with cat ears and tail opened the door. "Hello?" He asked, the ears twitching. His voice was deep and raspy, but charming nonetheless.

"Catt, hello!" Helga exclaimed, hugging him tightly before whispering something into his ear. "How are you today?"

Catt looked like he felt whiplash from what she said, but quickly composed himself. "Oh, Helga. I'm alright, thank you. Did you need something?"

"Actually, yeah I did." She smiled, chuckling softly. "Jimmy and I wanted to ask if you could let someone stay in your home for a night. There's an unexpected visitor here today and they have no where to stay."

Catt lit up. "Oh, of course! It'd be unpleasant to have to sleep outside. Say, what is their name?"

Jimmy nudged him forward and mouthed to introduce himself. "I'm.. Cornelius. I hope I'm not.. intruding.."

Catt smiled at the voice, Cornelius (?) noticing a light blush that climbed up his neck. "Its nice to meet you, Cornelius. I'm Catt and I'm blind. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, of course not." He shook his head.

"Alright then. Come on in, I'll get you situated." He smiled, but gave the woman a minorly harsh stare.

Helga only giggled before turning away and taking her husband with her. Jimmy seemed confused but waved towards the traveler nonetheless. He respectfully gave a nod back.

"Alright Cornelius, come sit! Are you hungry? I can make you something if you are." Catt led him inside.

He shook his head before remembering that he was blind. "No, no.. I'm fine, thank you. You, uh.. have a nice house." He said, looking around.

"Thank you! It isn't much, but I do what I can." He smiled. "Here. Let me take your bag."

"..Alright."

The two stood in silence for a few seconds before Catt started to laugh lightheartedly. "Don't be so stiff. I don't bite, I promise! Come here, sit down next to me." He beckoned the other to sit on the couch.

Cornelius didn't know many people, much less trusted them, but.. Catt had an overall nice aura. He seemed genuine. So when he slowly felt himself walk over to sit down, he could justify it to himself. The other's tail flicked happily as he heard him sit down.

"..So." The hybrid started. "What brought you to our little town?"

He looked down to his lap. "I.. don't know. I just spend my days wandering everywhere."

"So you don't have a home?"

"No. People generally find me weird. I don't have anyone to stay by, so it doesn't really affect me."

"..Huh."

Catt stared at him even though he couldn't see. He thought for a second before frowning. "That's a sad life."

"You learn to live with it." He responded, hiding the small bit of hurt in his voice. In reality, he was extremely lonely. When he would pass though villages, there would be families he'd watch be happy together and loathe it.

"Say, would you ever consider settling down?" He tilted his head.

"I.. maybe one day. I would like to settle down with people I'm friends with and such.." He quietly muttered.

"That's a lovely goal." Catt smiled softly. "I will probably stay in this village for the rest of my life, haha!" He chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

Cornelius thought a little. "Well, I think that's perfectly fine. Living a simple life is rather nice in my opinion."

"Really?"

"Uh.. yeah. Living on the road gets.. lonely sometimes." He mumbled.

Catt looked sympathic as he nodded. "I get that. I mostly spend my time alone. People think I'm less capable because of.. you know." He gestured to his eyes.

"That's kind of stupid." Cornelius frowned. "You seem to be perfectly fine even though you are blind."

"We can't exactly control what people think of us. Its more of just.. trying to prove we are just as capable as them. But then again, some people just won't change their mind." He shrugged. "In the end, life just continues and there is nothing we can do about it."

The other thought a little bit. "I guess."

The two sat in a comforting silence for a while, just enjoying the other's company.

The couch was firm, but still soft. It was the most comfortable place he has ever been in. He never truly got to rest before, never letting his guard down because of the mobs and creatures that roamed the night. But this.. this was nice.

For the first time since he was placed on this hellspawn Earth, he felt himself fall asleep without the prospect of having to worry. Slowly, he leaned towards to the side and fell asleep. 

________

Now Catt wouldn't consider himself extremely social. He had a couple of close friends, Helga being an example, but he liked living alone. So when she and Jimmy showed up at his house with a guy who had the most beautiful voice, it was a shock.

Cornelius was quiet. Reserved. He sounded as if he hadn't gotten a good night's rest for years. So what was he supposed to do when the mayor's wife said he needed a place to stay? Tell him no? Obviously not. He agreed to let the male to stay with him for a night or two.

Cornelius was still timid. He seemed to not want to step out of line. It made Catt's heart flutter when he sat down next to him. He enjoyed their conversation, even if it was a short one. Normally, he didn't actually like the quiet a lot. It left a hole in his mind. But with him, it was nice. Tender.

He thought his heart was going to explode when Cornelius fell asleep on his shoulder.

He almost jolted up before he heard light snores coming from the traveler. His face slowly grew red as his ears flickered around.

Catt lightly nudged him up to get him into a better position, but was stopped when Cornelius let out a quiet whine. He felt the other's arm slowly wrap around his waist, snuggling closer. His face grew hot as he froze.

It wasn't that it was uncomfortable, in fact it was actually quite nice. It was just that Cornelius was curled up against a complete stranger. He didn't actually mind though. The other.. had a beautifully comforting voice. It wasn't raspy like his own; it dripped down his spine like sweet honey on a hot summer's day. He felt himself melt down into the touch of the other's as his own eyes slowly blinked in and out of darkness. 

_____________

Cornelius woke up feeling more energized then he had felt in months. "Nmph.." He quietly murmured, rolling his head against something soft.

He slowly blinked away the blurr, pushing himself up to see what he was leaning against only to be shocked to see Catt still asleep with his hands and tail around his back. He let out a small squeak of embarrassment, waking the other up.

"Oh, you're awake!" Catt smiled, pushing himself up. He didn't seem all that fazed, infact he looked quite happy. "I'm glad, did you sleep alright? I had to move you a little bit."

Cornelius felt himself malfunction for a few moments, his hands trembling. He wanted to emplod into his own skin. A bright blush slowly climbed up his face.

"Hello? Are you there?" Catt waved his hands in front of him, snapping him out of his embarrassment.

"I- Uhm, yeah. Sorry about.. you know.." He slowly became more and more nervous by the second.

Noticing this, the hybrid couldn't help but laugh a little. "Don't worry about it! You were a good cuddler, did you know that? You seem a little flustered, is something wrong?" He teased, causing the other to squeak.

"No no no, I'm not! I just, uh.." He trailed off, looking around for any sort of excuse before Catt patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, really, Partner. I didn't mind, truly." He got up and stretched. "Well, I'm going to go make breakfast. If you need me, just call. I promise I don't bite." He winked, turning away.

Cornelius' face was still bright red, his muttered breath coming out as a stutter. "I.." 'Partner.' Catt's voice rang though his head. The edges of his mouth slowly perked up when he thought about it again and again. When he realized this, he brought his hands to his face.

'I wouldn't mind being called that again..' 

___________

One night turned into two, which eventually turned to four. With a blink of an eye, Cornelius has stayed in Catt's house for a week. During that time, he met people like Jack the farmer, Miles, and Bob. They all had their own little quirks that made them a joy to be around.

Neither of them minded. There was never a dull moment with eachother, albeit from baking, farming, or even cuddling from time to time. By the end of the month, Cornelius officially moved in.

The village people welcomed him with open arms. He soon fell into a routine of going into the forest to collect herbs, berries, or hunt since he was the person most familiar with it. He helped Jack with farming from time to time and Jimmy with the paper work it takes to run a village. But at the end of the day, he would always go back to Catt and fall asleep in his arms.

To everyone's surprise, they did not start dating until three months into his stay. It gave them a nice laugh when they watched everyone freak out, thinking they were dating for most of the time.

Helga and Jimmy were hilarious to be around, allowing Cornelius to break out of his shell. Catt also helped a fair bit, but the town mayor and his wife did most of the work.

One day in the woods, Cornelius was gathering herbs for Helga's tea before he heard distant cries. He rushed towards it as quickly as he could, finding a small child curled up in a tight ball. He felt his heart drop at the depressing sight, walking towards them slowly to not startle them.

The child's head bolted up, eyeing him down as the tears continued to roll down their cheek. They looked terrified at him, their mouth trembling. He dropped his basket, slowly raising his hand above his head, walking a little closer.

"W-What do you want?!" They shouted, trying to scoot back against the tree.

Cornelius' heart clenched. "I'm not here to hurt you, please calm down. What are you doing in the middle of the forest? The sun is almost down and the mobs are going to be out soon."

The kid only turned away, not answering. 'They're alone..' He frowned before making his way next to them. They flinched away, but he put up his softest smile, one he had only shown to Catt. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just wondering.. its not safe out here."

They sniffed, rubbing their eyes. "I don't have a place to go anymore.." They hugged their knees again.

"Oh.. I'm sorry." He allowed them to sit in silence for a while, letting them to get use to him.

"Its not your fault." They finally murmured. They rubbed their nose. "I was a coward when I ran away. Mom and Dad aren't coming back anymore because of me."

"Hey, hey, listen to me." Cornelius snapped, gaining their attention. "Look. It isn't your fault either. You can't go back in time, so what had happened had already happened."

They frowned and looked down, still silent. He scooted over and engulfed the small child in his arms. Slowly, he rubbed circles into their back. They flinched but eventually melted into his touch. It wasn't long before they broke down and started to bawl.

Cornelius allowed them to cry in his arms for an extended amount of time before he noticed the sun setting. He slowly shifted them up and smiled softly again. "We need to get out of the forest, alright? I promise, if you want to leave in the morning, I'll take you back here but only in the morning."

They didn't say anything, opting to just nod. Cornelius felt himself internally sigh in relief as he slowly rose to his feet, them doing the same. He picked up the dropped basket, taking it in one hand as the other held onto the kid's.

While walking back, they tensed up randomly. Everything he would stop and ask if they were alright, getting the same answer. Other then that, two of them walked in silence.

"..I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" He said, pushing a bush out of the way to make it easier to step though. "My name is Cornelius."

"I-'m Robin." They stuttered out.

He hummed, nodding. "That's a lovely name, Robin." He perked up at the opening. "Oh, here we are!"

Cornelius sped up, holding Robin's hand still. At the fountain was Catt looking slightly frantic with Helga comforting him.

"-ure he'll be here soon! Oh look, there he is!" Helga pointed towards the two.

Cornelius waved as Catt whipped his head around. "Cees!" He ran towards his partner, hugging him tightly.

The blond giggled and let go of Robin's hand to hug Catt back. "What's got you so worked up?"

"You're never out late! I was starting to get worried." He frowned. He eventually noticed the kid standing nervously. "Oh, who is this?"

"Oh Kitty, this is Robin. Robin, this is Catt, my partner." He introduced them to eachother.

Robin shifted their weight to look at the cat hybrid and was surprised to see his glazed eyes. "You're blind!"

Catt laughed nervously and nodded. "Yeah I am. But I can function perfectly fine even without my vision."

They looked at him starry-eyed with a gaping mouth. Cornelius chuckled lightly before going over to Helga, handing her the half-emptied basket. "Sorry I couldn't get a lot of the herbs today. I'll go back tomorrow, I promise."

"Oh deary, don't apologize! I still have plenty for the tomorrow." She smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Besides, looks like you've got a kid now, eh?"

He stood up straighter, waving his hand frantically. "Oh no, you've got the wrong idea! I'm not adopting Robin, they're just here to stay for the night."

"Mhm, sure there. Catt seems to have gotten attached already." She giggled into her hand, pointing to the two.

He turned around around to see the two of them laughing and talking about random things. 'The two of them get along.' He was glad.

"Helga, dinner is ready!" Jimmy's voice rang though the four of their ears.

"Well, that's a sign for me to go home. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow!" She waved, walking back to her house.

Cornelius walked back up to his partner and Robin, smiling. "We should head back home too. Rabbit stew tonight?" 

_____________

Yeah, turned out Robin wasn't leaving either. Cornelius and Catt welcomed him in with open arms, never rushing them for anything.

They took an interest in medicine, so Cornelius and Helga happily started teaching them everything they know. They were a quick learner, and it wasn't uncommon for them to join Cornelius in his trips into the forest every week or so.

Catt and them were especially close, the hybrid hanging out with them whenever the other wasn't around. The three of them became what felt like an unconventional family. None of them minded because it felt normal.

Robin was a sweet kid caught in a bad situation. They sometimes had panic attacks if someone created too loud of a noise, but it didn't happen often. When it did, Catt would comfort them and Cornelius would scold whoever caused it. Everyone in the village knew about them three and they became the token family.

"Catt, Robin, I'm leaving now!" Cornelius shouted into the house, a backpack and basket in hand.

Catt shouted back. "Alright Cees! Make sure you come home before dark!"

Robin ran to the front door and hugged their foster parent. "Oh, oh! Can you find me some mint leaves? Please and thank you!"

He chuckled and fluffed their hair. "Of course I can. Now, be good for Catt, alright? Who knows, maybe I'll find some lilacs today."

"Okay, okay. Now go! Mr. Jack is coming over later and we have to get ready!"

"I'll go! Bye little bird, I'll see you tonight." He gave them one last smile before waving and going into the forest.

The day was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. He hummed a happy tune as he picked at the natural life all around him. He hunted smaller animals and fished for food.

While walking back, Cornelius felt a pit in his stomach. He tried to put it back but it wouldn't stop nagging him so he slowly picked up his speed.

When he arrived, the village was dead quiet. Not a single sound other then nature. The blond felt his breath hitch as he rushed back to his and Catt's home. "Catt! Robin! I'm home early!" He called into the house to receive a single reaction.

Now he started to get more nervous. Normally, at least one of them would meet him at the door. He bit his lip as he checked the living room. Nothing.

Bathroom? Nothing. 

Storage? Nothing. 

Kitchen? Nothing. (Why was a knife missing?) 

Dining room? Nothing.

He quickly approached their bedroom, eyes widening at the small trails of blood. He shoved the door open and felt his heart drop when he saw Catt and Robin hugging eachother tightly as blood dripped from the corners of their mouths. "Catt! Robin!" He shouted, tears clouding his vision. He ran up to the two of them and fell to his knees while cupping their faces with each hand.

"Cees..?" Catt mumbled out in pain, only able to lift his eyelids a little. "Cees.."

"Catt, Kitty! You're going to be okay, save your breath!" Cornelius bit down hard as he frantically opened his backpack to get out bandages only to find none. He stopped when his partner's weak hand landed on his own.

"Cees.. you know I love you, right?" He smiled before coughing out bits of blood.

"No no no, don't say that! You're not allowed to leave me today!" He shook his head.

He only laughed quietly, tightening his grip on the blond's hand. "Cees, my love, my dream, you're one of the strongest people I know. You can-"

"Shut! Shut! You don't get to do this to me!"

"Dad..?"

He turned his head to see Robin's once bright eyes staring back at him. "Dad.. dad it hurts.."

"Oh Robin, My Wings, I know I know.." He felt more tears fall down.

"I don't want to die.." They had water flood their vision aswell.

"Don't say that, you're not going to die!" He cried harder as he hugged both of them.

"Hey Cees.. don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, alright?" Catt mumbled trailing his hand though Cornelius' hair.

"Stop that, Kitty. Jimmy can help! I'll go get him-" He tried to leave only to be tugged down by his lover.

"Stay with us.. won't you?"

"But you're dying! We still have time-"

"Dad please.. Mr. Jimmy and Mrs. Helga are gone too." Robin cried, holding onto his sleeves.

"Who did this to you?!" Cornelius' sadness slowly turned into anger. He still clung onto the small bit of hope that they would be okay.

"J-Jac-" Catt coughed out a large amount of blood, looking more pale.

"Jack?!" He shouted, eyes softening when Robin flinched.

"I love you, Cees.." Catt finished, closing his eyes much to Cornelius' horror.

"Catt? Catt!" He shook his lover to get no response. He looked over to his kid. His beautiful kid. He watched in terror as their breath hitched. He hugged them tightly in their final moments as they mumbled their last words.

"I'm glad you found me, dad.."

And with that, the two people Cornelius considered his family had died. A million senerios ran through his head as he thought what could have been- should have been! What if he stayed home? What if he took Robin with him? What if he never came to the village? What if-

He let out a scream.

A tale that ended in tragedy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Here are some things you should know before this story continues:
> 
> +Dream is not Immortal, but he isn't exactly human either.  
> +Catt is indeed blind, but his other senses are enhanced like hearing or smelling.  
> +Robin uses They/Them pronouns. I don't have a reason, I just think they fit them.  
> +Jimmy and Helga are married.  
> +Sapnap and George are still best friends, but they don't have as much power as they do in the DSMP.  
> +l'Manburg did not have to fight for their independence.  
> +This chapter was set three years in the past. The story will start in the beginning of the election arc.
> 
> I'm sure there are things I missed, but this is everything I remember for now. If there are any questions, just ask them in the comments! Thank you again for reading. Kudos and Comments are appreciated!


End file.
